Quilt Patterns We Love

Quilt tester Laura Boehnke made this pretty and modern quilt using soft, pastel flannels. "It's perfect for a baby quilt or for a toddler to cuddle up with on the couch," she says.

Quilt tester Laura Boehnke made this quilt by combining three LakeHouse Dry Goods fabric collections (Cherry Baby, Hydrangea Garden, and LakeHouse Library I). The pink-and-green striped print looks like tiny strips pieced together, resulting in an intricate-looking flowerpot.

Dots are hot! And there are plenty in quilt tester Laura Boehnke's crib-size quilt that uses fabrics from Pop Parade by Metro and Panzy Pazazz by Janet Broxon, both from P&B Textiles. "I love to pair fun, contemporary fabrics with a traditional quilt pattern," Laura says. "Strong contrast between the fabrics in each Square-in-a-Square block is the key to adding punch to the overall design." This 43-inch-square quilt is the perfect size for a toddler's nap quilt or a great wall hanging.

Make a quick wall hanging like quilt tester Laura Boehnke did using Rosemarie Lavin's Harmony collection for Windham fabrics. With just four Arkansas Cross Roads blocks, attention goes right to the medallion shape.

Although the prints in the Four-Patch units vary in color, value, and scale, all are set off by the same chocolate brown tone-on-tone used as the base of each Floating Star unit.

The warm and cozy flannels of the Frosty Friends collection from Laurie Godin combined with Ro Gregg's Rock N' Roll solids, all from Northcott Silk, provide the perfect wintry mix for quilt tester Laura Boehnke's small 49-block quilt.

Instead of varying the triangles in each row by lights and darks, quilt tester Laura Boehnke varied them by fabric type. Using the Colorweaves collection from Marcus Fabrics, Laura alternated between soft stripes and heathered solids.

Instead of using applique, quilt tester Laura Boehnke substituted prints from The Very Hungry Caterpillar collection by Eric Carle for Andover Fabrics. "If you need to make a quick and easy quilt, use large-scale prints to fill big areas," Laura says. "You can fussy-cut the prints to highlight graphic images."

Quilt tester Laura Boehnke worked from the inside out to frame a dynamic print from the Laguna collection for Timeless Treasures Fabrics with coordinating prints and stripes. By making just one block and adding borders, Laura created a 33-1/2-inch-square table topper or small wall hanging. For added interest, she pieced small striped triangles for border corners.

Christmas candy in the colors of chocolate and lollipops becomes a table runner for quilt tester Laura Boehnke. Most fabrics are from Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party collection for FreeSpirit.

Laura combined bright colors with brown for her triangle units. She paid careful attention to color placement when setting those units into triangle-squares. Two 1/2-inch-wide finished borders and one 2-1/2-inch-wide finished border complete the 19-1/2x43-1/2-inch table runner.

Florals give quilt tester Laura Boehnke's quilt a feminine flair. "I showcased a large floral in the center of the blocks and used a slightly smaller scale floral in the triangle-squares," Laura says. "The tone-on-tone quality of the other fabrics allows the floral prints to really sparkle." She pieced this 44-inch-square version using the Chelsea Market collection from RJR Fabrics.

Using Elanor's Picnic by Piece O' Cake Designs for P&B Textiles, quilt tester Laura Boehnke made a bright and cheery quilt. Laura's 36-block rendition includes three Star blocks. "I kept the fabrics mostly low contrast, but punched up the color and prints," Laura says. "Polka dots always add a sense of playfulness and whimsy." The 44-1/2-inch-square quilt would make a great summertime table topper or kid's quilt.

Blend retro prints from the Groovy Geos collection for Timeless Treasures Fabrics with solid black. When you're making a quilt with busy prints such as these, using a solid sashing fabric gives the eye a place to rest between blocks.

Use fusible applique for a quick and easy quilt. Each block features a print and a coordinating solid from Granny's Treasures collection by Nancy Mahoney for P&B Textiles.

Quilts and More Editor Jill Abeloe Mead made her quilt using Kaffe Fassett's shot cottons for Westminster Fabrics. "I was drawn to the simplicity of this project," Jill says. "The artful arrangement of the blocks was fun to experiment with."

This quilt uses the Kalahari collection of Artisan Batiks by Lunn Studios for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Batiks in the center square have less contrast, blending for a watercolor effect. To better showcase the fabric motifs, use 4-inch squares and triangle-squares and frame the piece with a 5-inch-wide finished border.

Bold botanical prints star in this quilt. The throw features two collections from FreeSpirit-- Prairie Gothic by Jane Sassaman and Park Slope by Erin McMorris.

Placement of dark and light prints makes the star blocks in this quilt appear square and boxy. This wall hanging showcases dark reds and browns from Heather Mulder Peterson's Cottage Charm collection for Henry Glass & Co. in the borders and star block centers.

Small triangle-squares from tone-on-tone rose prints create pieced sashing rectangles that flow together almost like a watercolor painting. This quilt features the Bouquet Impressions collection from P&B Textiles.

Each of the colors in the center flower medallion was pulled from the floral outer border. This one-block quilt features the Journey collection by Gudrun Erla of GE Designs for Red Rooster Fabrics. Use fusible applique, stitching each shape in place with thread that closely matches each piece. For eye-catching wall art, frame the quilt and hang it on point.

Soft, sophisticated flannels in Danhui Nai's Tapestry of Colors collection for Wilmington Prints combined for a romantic throw. This quick-to-finish project involves piecing just three block rows!

Quilt tester Laura Boehnke's light and bright quilt showcases the Midwest Modern 2 collection by Amy Butler for Westminster Fabrics. If you have darker colors in your stash, gather your friends for a fabric swap. By trading bits and pieces, you'll expand your stash without adding large pieces in colors you don't often use.

Quilt tester Laura Boehnke worked from the outside in on her bright kid's quilt, choosing the vivid border stripe first. The result is an evening sky of bright stars.

Quilt tester Laura Boehnke made this dramatic three-color quilt. "I played with scale a bit by including both small and medium prints," Laura says.

Flannels from Folk Tale Friends collection from Red Rooster Fabrics inspired a kid-friendly snuggler. This easy-to-piece quilt is perfect for a baby shower or child's birthday gift.

Need a faux headboard for a little girl's twin bed? Make three blocks, arrange them in a horizontal row, and add borders for a cute-as-can-be wall hanging that would look adorable above a bed. Fabrics are from the Juliana collection by Sue Zipkin for Clothworks.

Give a new quilt old-fashioned appeal by combining 1930s prints from the Momma's Apron Strings collection by RJR Fabrics and Hints of Prints 4 by Darlene Zimmerman for Robert Kaufman Fabrics. The light areas are great for showcasing quilting designs.

A bright and bold wall hanging mixes graphic prints from the Del Hi collection by Valori Wells for FreeSpirit. Turning two of the identical blocks 90 degrees (the upper right and lower left) creates the effect of a kaleidoscope that seems to shape-shift before your eyes.

Vivid red star points jump off the quilt while muted gold star points recede, forming a single, large Friendship Star. A four-in-one print from the Happy Campers collection by American Jane for Moda Fabrics provided a fussy-cut middle border featuring the ABCs.

Create a keepsake for a child's birthday party by making a table cover quilt out of Chimney Sweep blocks that partygoers can sign. Fabrics are Mary Lou Weidman's Happiness Is collection for Benartex.